Council formally approves additional EU funds for 2013

The Council of the European Union has on October 30 formally approved its position on amending the EU budget for 2013 covering the remaining payment needs. Formal adoption of the draft amending budgets No 8 (DAB2 bis) and 9 follows the political agreement reached by the Committee of the Permanent Representatives on October 14.

Draft amending budget No 8 aims to cover the outstanding payment needs amounting to 3.9 billion euros in the areas such as Cohesion policy until the end of the year. It constitutes the remaining part of 11.2 billion euros from the draft amending budget No 2, of which 7.3 billion euros were adopted earlier this year.

Draft amending budget No 9 covers 400.5 million euros in commitments and payments for the EU solidarity fund to Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic, which suffered from floods, and Romania, which suffered from drought and forest fires. The payments are covered by redeploying funds from the so-called “global transfer” presented by the European Commission.

By adopting the draft amending budgets No 8 and 9 the Council has fulfilled its commitment, assumed as part of the political agreement with the European Parliament on the 2014–2020 multiannual financial framework, to take all necessary additional steps to ensure that the Union’s obligations for 2013 are fully honoured in order to avoid any shortfall in justified payment appropriations.

To allow the disbursement of funds draft amending budgets No 8 and 9 now need to be approved by the European Parliament.

Council formally approves additional EU funds for 2013

30 October 2013 Last updated at 11:13 EET

The Council of the European Union has on October 30 formally approved its position on amending the EU budget for 2013 covering the remaining payment needs. Formal adoption of the draft amending budgets No 8 (DAB2 bis) and 9 follows the political agreement reached by the Committee of the Permanent Representatives on October 14.

Draft amending budget No 8 aims to cover the outstanding payment needs amounting to 3.9 billion euros in the areas such as Cohesion policy until the end of the year. It constitutes the remaining part of 11.2 billion euros from the draft amending budget No 2, of which 7.3 billion euros were adopted earlier this year.

Draft amending budget No 9 covers 400.5 million euros in commitments and payments for the EU solidarity fund to Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic, which suffered from floods, and Romania, which suffered from drought and forest fires. The payments are covered by redeploying funds from the so-called “global transfer” presented by the European Commission.

By adopting the draft amending budgets No 8 and 9 the Council has fulfilled its commitment, assumed as part of the political agreement with the European Parliament on the 2014–2020 multiannual financial framework, to take all necessary additional steps to ensure that the Union’s obligations for 2013 are fully honoured in order to avoid any shortfall in justified payment appropriations.

To allow the disbursement of funds draft amending budgets No 8 and 9 now need to be approved by the European Parliament.